1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the field of catering apparatuses, and in particular to an improved chafing dish which employs handles on the food pan to assist in the exchange of hot chafing dishes, holding of serving utensils and drying of chafing dishes.
2. Background Information
Chafing dishes, also referred to as food pans, steam tables and buffet pans (collectively referred to herein as chafing dishes), are widely used for buffet-type food service, serving various kinds of hot and cold foods. Such chafing dishes typically include a supporting water pan supported by a open frame bracing structure. A heat source may be placed below the water pan to heat the water in the pan. A chafing dish is supported by the water pan, typically above the level of the water. A lid is often provided to cover the chafing dish. Typically, both the deep water pan and the chafing dish will include an outwardly extending peripheral rim at an upper portion thereof. The peripheral rim of the water pan engages the open frame bracing structure to support the water pan. In a similar fashion, the peripheral rim of the chafing dish engages the peripheral rim of the water pan to support the chafing dish. Representative examples of this construction are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,045,672, 5,347,979 and 5,517,903. It is also possible with certain chafing dishes to utilize the chafing dishes and the open frame bracing structure without the intervening water pan, such as for food dishes served and maintained at room temperature. In this assembly, the chafing dish may be supported directly of the open frame bracing structure.
The chafing dishes must be removed from the assembly periodically for various reasons. For instance, chafing dishes must be removed and replaced to replenish the food in the chafing dish assembly, and must be removed to clean the chafing dishes. Chafing dishes must also be configured to provide a seal between the chafing dish and the water pan so that the steam or cold air below the chafing dish will not escape around the edges of the chafing dish.
The prior art chafing dishes are typically constructed with a peripheral rim being either a planar flange having a down-turned outer edge or a planar ledge having an outwardly extending portion which rests on and provides a seal with the water pan in which the chafing dish is placed. Although such chafing dishes may provide an adequate seal so that food placed in the chafing dishes is maintained at a desirable temperature by the steam or cold air therebelow, it is difficult to remove such chafing dishes from the assembly.
To remove the chafing dishes, the edge of the chafing dish, which provides the seal with the water pan, must somehow be lifted from the water pan, by wedging a finger, utensil or other tool under the sealing rim. Such a procedure is difficult and can be dangerous since the chafing dish assembly may have a hot upper surface and/or hot escaping steam which can burn the hand or finger of the person removing the chafing dish.
Commonly, persons removing the chafing dish may unwisely use something else, other than a pot holder, such as an apron that he or she is wearing to remove the chafing dish. This could result in the uneven handling of the chafing dish causing spills and/or burns to the food handler and/or patrons standing nearby while the transfer of hot food is taking place. Furthermore, aprons mistakenly being caught underneath of the chafing dish could quite possibly cause the whole chafing dish assembly to be pulled over.
Attempts have been made to address this problem in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,676,276 discloses a chafing dish with a notch in the sealing flange to provide a space between the chafing dish and the water pan into which serving utensils can be inserted to lift the chafing dish for easy grasping of the edge of the chafing dish. This solution still requires and encourages the inappropriate use of serving utensils and the like to pry the chafing dish upwards. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,112,948 and 3,179,287 disclose special attachable chafing dish handles, however, both of these designs require engaging the underside of the sealing flange of a chafing dish with the handles. Consequently, the attachment of the handles to the chafing dishes encounters the same problems associated with moving the chafing dishes without the handles. These handles would also interfere with the sealing of the chafing dish and the water pan and the placement of the lid if the handles were left attached to the chafing dish. Finally, these handles represent another tool which the operator must store separately while the chafing dish assembly is being used, washed or stored. Permanently attached handles have been used in other nested cookware such as draining baskets or strainers as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,588,614 and 4,106,486.
The strainers have been designed with a peripheral supporting ledge for supporting the strainer within another cooking vessel, typically containing water or oil. Due to the perforated nature of a strainer, the ledge does not form a seal with the underlying cookware. Consequently, removing a strainer from the cookware does not result in a sudden escape of steam as in chafing dish removal. Furthermore, such strainers are not commonly used for food presentation and service.
The conventional prior art chafing dishes are typically stored nested one inside of the other. Suction force makes it difficult to separate such nested chafing dishes. The nested chafing dishes are typically separated by wedging a finger, serving utensil or other tool between chafing dishes.
Such methods of removing chafing dishes from chafing dish assemblies or from one another as stated above are time-consuming, unprofessional in appearance and sometimes dangerous in the fast-paced, high-profile food service industry.
Serving utensils, used with chafing dishes while the chafing dishes are full of food, are usually placed serving-end-in the food being served, while the handle is rested on the end of the chafing dish. Frequently, serving utensils slide or fall into the food requiring food handlers to repeatedly wipe or replace serving utensils after placing fingers into hot food to retrieve the serving utensil. This also is dangerous, time consuming and does not lend itself to a professional appearance.
Thus there is a need for a chafing dish which can easily be removed from a water pan or open frame bracing structure which provides a seal between the chafing dish and the water pan and allows a lid to be placed on top. There is a need for a chafing dish which provides non-suction storage, and provides a suitable place for serving utensils to rest while the chafing dish is in service. There is a need for a chafing dish which allows a safe, efficient and professional-appearing exchange and serving of food.
The chafing dish according to the present invention solves the difficulties inherent in prior art chafing dishes by providing a chafing dish which can easily be removed from a chafing dish assembly which provides a seal between the chafing dish and the water pan and allows a lid to be placed on top. The chafing dish of the present invention provides non-suction storage for the chafing dishes of the present invention and provides a suitable place for serving utensils to rest within the chafing dish while the chafing dish is in service. The chafing dish of the present invention allows a safe, efficient, and professional-appearing exchange and serving of food, keeping the servers hands away from the outer edge of the chafing dish where hot steam rises from the water pan.
The chafing dishes according to one embodiment of the present invention may have a generally rectangular configuration which includes a solid bottom panel and four solid walls extending upwardly therefrom. The four walls may include first and second end walls and first and second side walls. The end walls are joined to the side walls at curved corners thereof, and define a generally rectangular top opening. A top sealing flange extends outwardly from the four walls around the entire periphery of the walls. The sealing flange has a continuous planar lower surface so that when the chafing dish is placed in a water pan, the continuous planar lower surface is in intimate contact with the upper surface of the water pan around the periphery of the water pan. Thus, the chafing dish is in sealing engagement with the water pan when the chafing dish is placed therein. At least one handle extends inwardly from an inner edge where the end wall or the side wall meets the top ledge. A pair of handles may be provided on opposed sides of the chafing dish for easy handling of the chafing dish. The handles are joined to the inner edge, such as by a screw and washer assembly.
Each handle includes an opening to receive the hands of the user to easily grip the chafing dish and remove the chafing dish from the water pan or the open frame bracing structure. The handles extend inwardly allowing a lid to be placed on top. The handles will space one chafing dish from a nested adjacent chafing dish to provide non-suction storage. The handles also provide a suitable place for serving utensils to rest while the chafing dish is in service. Handles are placed to the inside of the chafing dish to keep hands away from dangerous steam that rises from the water pan when removing the chafing dish from the water pan. Thus the handles on the chafing dishes of the present invention allow a safe, efficient and professional-appearing exchange and serving of food.
Further objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a consideration of the drawings and ensuing description in which like reference numerals represent like elements throughout.